AAI

Aai is about a grandpa who is suddenly alone and seeks comfort in the objects around him. People come in. People leave again. But who is real? He no longer knows where he is, when he is, and why he is. Did the lamp just wave? And did the carpet sneeze? Aiaiaai. Poor grandpa. But fortunately, it is not all doom and gloom, because humans are also hilarious, touching, and magical in their loneliness. Femke Stallaert started for Aai from the figures her grandfather with dementia saw in the last years of his life. Aai is a wordless mask performance where everyday objects come to life. A skin-hungry trip full of alienated family and imaginary friends. An animistic ode to the lonely human and his boundless imagination! For everyone from 4 years old. “From a trembling little grandpa in his chair, close to death, director Femke Stallaert makes a rousing celebration of human imagination, by making his whole room come alive. She shows puppet theater at full strength. [...] If theater claims to be able to appeal to all ages, then this performance is the living proof of that.” - Wouter Hillaert (Pzazz) Winner of the BOZE WOLF prize for best performance at the BOZE WOLF Puppet Theater Festival 2024. Met Kazanga Jonathan Linga (acting and music), Tomas Pevenage (acting), Benjamin Mouchette (acting), Femke Stallaert (direction), Gorges Ocloo & Greet Jacobs (external eye), Benjamin Mouchette, Paul Contryn and Katinka Heremans (studio), Dominique Defossez and Stéphane Vloebergh (technique, light design and set), Noor de Graaf (production management), DE MAAN (production), Perpodium (co-production), with support of the Tax Shelter of the Belgische Federale Overheid and Cronos Invest, thanks to Jack Romans, Willem Rys, Marketa Skarban, Katrien Van Craenenbroeck, Margootje Van Ransbeeck